Island



(Specimens.)

I'. WILOOMB. METHOD of' KNITTING STOGKINGS.

uwwPategLefMar. 4, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FRANK IVILCOMB, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOILRY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TI-IE WILCOMB KNIT'IING MACHINE COMPANY, OF` JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

METHOD OF KNITTING STOCKINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 422,869, dated March 4, 1890.

Application iiled August 28, 1888. Serial No. 283,971. (Specimens.)

To all whom t may con/cern: junction with the series of continuous wales 5o Be it known that I, FRANK VILCOMB, of at the rear of the stocking-leg. Providence, in the county of Providence and The stocking is begun at the top of the leg State of Rhode Island, have invented a new with onehnndred and ninety-two stitches, and 5 and useful Improvement in the Method of is knit continuously in tubular form down to Knitting Stockings; and I do hereby declare the line where the narrowing begins for 55 that the following is a full, clear, and exact the ankle. At this line the stocking is nardescription of the same. rowed by `one stitch for each narrowing at The invention which is the subject of the desired intervals, and the narrowing is con- 1o following specification relates to the manutinued until there have been thirty-two narfacture of tnbular-knit stockings, and in this rowings in each row, and until the stocking 6o invention I have sought to improve the artiin the section shown in Fig. #I is one huncle and also to facilitate the manufacture of dred and twenty-eight stitches in circumferthe article. The knitting is performed on a ence, this being the narrowest part of the an i 5 straight tubular-knitting machine provided kle. It will be observed that the narrowing with transfer-points-such a machine, for `for the ankle is only on one `end of the two 65 example, as that shown in Letters Patent of rows of stitches at what constitutes the back the United States granted to me on the 12th of the stocking-leg. At the line y y is the daT of October, 1886, No. 350,7 95. In the beginning` of the heel. At this point are zo method hereinafter described I use eleven dropped stitches from a sufficient number of transfer-points on each side of the machine needles' on one side of the machine, which 7o at one end in the narrowing of the leg and makes a break from the back to about the foot, and the same number of points on each middle of the stocking-leg, the stitches on the side at both ends in the narrowing of the front of the stocking being left on the nee- 25 toe; and I have described the stocking as dles. After dropping the loops from thence- -made of a definite number of stitchesfor dies the work is immediately set up again, 7 5

convenience in illustration; but the number and this leaves the stocking at this line half of points and number of stitches is a matter, severed from the back. of course, which is not material to the inven- Instead of dropping the stitches from the 3o JiOllneedles, as above described, theknitting may In order that the invention may be fully be continued and the heel-opening may be 8o understood, I have particularly shown the formed by cutting on the same line and with detached stocking in the accompanying draw the same rdepth as that of the gap formed by ings, as well as the series of stockings conthe dropping of the stitches above described.

3 5 nected to each other as made. If the knitting is continuous, or when the In the drawings, Figure l represents a rear work is set up again on the needles, a few 85 View of the detached stocking with the foot rounds are knit straight and then the transferextended. Fig. 2 represents a stocking in points are again brought into action, eleven side elevation. Figs. 3, et, and 5 show crosson each side of the machine at one end, as

4o sections of the stocking. Fig. 6 shows the end before, and the stocking at this point is narof the tube, the successive steps in the direcrowed six times on each side, which reduces 9o tion thereof being indicated in dotted lines. it by twelve stitches. This forms the gusset, Fig. 7.also shows the end of the tube, repreand the wales between the narrowings are senting it as open in one part of the figure still at the back and in a central line, and the 45 and closed in the other part. Fig. 8 reprenarrowing-stitches are on each side, on the sents in side elevation a series of the stockbottom of the foot when the foot is turned 95 ings as they come from' the machine before up to its proper position, as shown in Fig. .2. they are separated. Fig. i) is a view showing The foot is then knit in the forni of a tube to lin detail the standing. wales at the point of the line 2 2 `without narrowing. As twelve stitches are taken out, this tubular part which forms the foot is one hundred and sixteen stitches in circumference. At the line 2 2 the narrowing for the toe commences. This narrowing is'on both bottom and top of the foot at thetoe, and has walesalikebetween the narrowingsformed bythe use of eleven transfer-points on each side of the machine and at each end of the needle-rows. The foot is narrowed eighteen times on as many rounds of knitting at each end of the rows of needles This reduces the circumference of the foot to forty-four stitches, this being the number of the transfer-points, and at this point the knitting ceases. Immediately all the needles originally used are brought into work again, and the machine commences the knitting of the second stocking, which is continued in precisely the same manner as described above, and so on throughout the whole series as long as may be convenient.

In the method described transfenpoints are used on each side of the machine at one end for the narrowing of the leg and gusset and at both ends of the machine at each side for the narrowing of the toe, and a series of wales or lines of stitches with the narrowings on each side thereof will thereby be formed in the narrowed portions at the back of the stocking, which extend as a continuation of a corresponding number of wales or stitches in the part of the stocking above the narrowed portion down to the toe and for a short distance up the front side, a break occurring between the end of the ankle portion and the under part ofthe foot portion, where the heel is inserted, and also at the toe-opening, where the parts are brought together and stitched. When, however, the heel-opening is formed by cutting into the seamless blank, the break referred to will not occur during the knitting operation.

When a series of stockings are thus knit in a continuous piece and by continuous operation, they rnay be severed at the point between the toe of one and the top of the leg of another, and the opening at the toe of each stocking stitched in any convenient manner. A portion of the upper edge of the stocking,

including the severed part, is turned in and stitched to form a hem.

The heel-piece, bounded by the lines 'm n o and 0 p, is knit separately and may be connected by the selvages to the stocking proper on the line ofthe heel-opening or in any manner vwell-known to those skilled in the art.

I do not claim in this application the finished stocking, as this constitutes the subject-matter of an application liled by me in the United States Patent Office of even date herewith and serially numbered' 283,970.

I claim as my invention-n l. Thev hereinbefore-described method of knitting stockings, consisting in first knit ting a straight tubular leg, then narrowing on each side of the needle-rows at one end to fashion the leg, then knitting straight upon the ankle, then narrowing on each side of the needle-rows at one end to form the gusset, again knitting straight to form the foot, then narrowing on each side of the needle-rows at both ends to form the toe, and nally closing the opening at the toe and insertingthe heel, as set forth.

2. The hereinbefore-described method of knitting stockings, consisting in knitting a straight tubular leg, then narrowing by transferring a nu mber of stitches on each side of one end of the rows of needles,forming wales on the back of the stocking, then knitting straight upon the ankle, again narrowing, as before, to form gussets by transferring stitches, as before, and at the same end of the rows of needles, again knitting straight to forni the foot, then narrowing at both ends of the rows of needles to form the toe, bringing the original number ofneedles into work again to form another stocking, and repeating the same order of operations, as desired, then severing the stocking-blanks from each other, and nally completing the stockings by inserting the heel and closing the opening at the toe of each.

3.-'l`he hereinbeforedescribed method of knitting stockings, consisting of knitting a plurality'of stockings from the leg to the toe, fashioning the stocking by the transfer of stitches in the operation of knitting, bring ing into action the original number of needles without dropping the stitches from the toe of the first stocking, then knitting-'the second stocking in like manner7 then severing the stocking so knitted on the line where the toe of one and the leg of the next following join, closing the opening in the toe by stitching, hemming the cut top, and inserting the heel in an opening between the end of the ankle portion and the under part of the foot portion, substantially as described. Y

4. The hereinbeforc-described method -of knitting a plurality of stockings, consisting in knitting the first stocking from the top to the toe and shaping bythe transfer of stitches,

then bringing into operation the original number of needles without Vdropping the stitches from the toe of the first stocking, to form the leg of the next stocking, then knitting the second stocking in like manner and repeat-ing the same order of operation as desired,where by a plurality of stockings are produced connected lengthwise, then severing the series, and finally completing each stocking by inserting a heel and closing the opening at the toe thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have sign ed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK. WILCOMB.

Witnesses: Y l

WALTER DONALDSON, GEO. R. WILsoN.

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